• It is rare that you should build Zealots first. Either go for a Forge or get a Cybernetics Core as fast as you can. Terrans can effectively wreck Protoss economies with Reapers, as Zealots are much slower than Reapers, allowing for simple kiting (luring enemies around while hitting them). Zealots are also slower than Zerglings, which allows for less effective (on their part) kiting.
• Do not turtle. You require more resources than Zerg or Terran players, and turtling guarantees you will not be able to expand. If you get stuck inside your own base, you are as good as dead. You must expand as quickly as you possibly can, with some of the most successful Protoss builds involving a fast expand to your natural.
• Protoss units can not be repaired or healed, unless you have a Terran or Zerg teammate, which means that everything you have is expendable. You can't retreat to lick your wounds, as the wounds will simply be there when you return. Don't be afraid to fully commit to a fight, as the damage you cause will likely be better than simply waiting for your demise.
• Protoss macromanagement has a number of alleviating factors. Infantry units can be "warped in" to any powered (by Pylon or Warp Prism) area, bypassing lengthy movement routes. Chrono Boost increases the speed of a structure by 50%, making unit producing structures make things faster and research structures tech up faster. Buildings can be left alone once they start building. Overall, the Protoss have perhaps the fastest acceleration of the races in terms of resource production, but they have a low threshold, whereas the Zerg and Terrans can easily exceed it with things such as MULEs, larva spawning, and cheaper (in the case of Zerg) home structures.

The most popular Protoss strategy of the moment is known as Proxy. Proxy can actually be done by any race, but is most effective with Protoss. Proxy is when a player, instead of building inside his or her starting base, decides to build their first unit-producing structures right outside your main base. This allows the player to get a jump on enemies, especially if they have been delayed with probe or SCV harassment. Protoss proxy comes in two flavors: Cannons or Warp Gates. Cannon proxying involves building a secluded Pylon in the enemy base, and then gradually encroaching with an advancing wall of Photon Cannons. It's a devastating strategy if not caught early, but is fairly easy to beat if you know it is coming or scout properly. The other common proxy is by building a Pylon at some point along the outside of the player's cliff. Once this is done, the Protoss player will use Warp Gates to either warp units directly into the enemy base or build at the front lines. Both strategies are extremely effective, but someone who is familiar with them and scouts thoroughly can counter them.



Pros

• Easy to learn
• Extremely effective and not very micro-intensive.
• Strong against all races.
• Can win a game within the first 5 minutes.

Cons

• Difficult to merge with a stronger long-term strategy.
• Very mineral-intensive, especially for Photon Cannons.
• Easy to lose against a smart player who scouts carefully.

Another common Protoss strategy, and a strong one, is mass Void Rays. While this seems contradictory (you should never really mass a single unit in Starcraft 2), Void Rays are extremely strong against all unit types, and increase in power the longer they are in battle. They are also fairly durable, which means that the best strategy to counter them is mass anti-air. This leaves an opponent open to even small attack forces, and can potentially win you the game with ease. It's not as much a problem against ground anti-air, like Hydralisks or Marines, but dedicated aerial anti-air can wreck Void Rays. Still, you will see mass Void Rays a lot in games with Protoss players.





Pros

• Great range and mobility, thanks to aerial nature.
• Incredible damage that buffs itself over time.
• Effective against virtually all unit types.

Cons

• Slow to build up to.
• Extremely expensive on the minerals (Void Rays cost 250 minerals apiece!)
• Susceptible to mass dedicated aerial anti-air.

Finally comes the third, and potentially best, strategy. It can take a long or short time to get going, depending on how fast you tech up and if the opponent attacks you at all, but it's a great strategy nonetheless. The strategy is Colossi, Stalkers, and Sentries, otherwise known as CSS. It's a fairly standard unit composition, although Colossi are sometimes switched out for Immortals thanks to their durability. The benefits are clear: Colossi annihilate ground with their thermal lances (upgrade required), Stalkers handle both ground and air, and Sentries provide support with shields, holograms, and force fields. It is, however, a late game strategy, as it requires considerable resources to get started. COlossi are also fragile, and if you aren't careful you can lose them fast.












Pros

• Great against almost all unit compositions.
• Easily modular for other forces such as Immortals.
• Excellent utility; Can be used as a raiding party or to hunt down remnants alike.

Cons

• The most expensive strategy for a Protoss, except maybe mass Carriers.
• Colossi vulnerable to hit-and-run anti-air strikes.
• Not as good in melee combat.
• Requires excellent micromanagement.